Double Dub '85

When posting the first Dub '85 selection in January, following on from Dub '83 in September 2023, I said that I would eventually get around to Dub '84. 

Today is not that day, however, as I revisit 1985 for another dozen dubs of popular hits (well, some of them were popular, anyway).

By the mid-80s, 12" remixes and dubs had become the norm to the extent that even James Brown and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts were getting in on the act. And, believe it or not, this is the first time that Red Hot Chili Peppers have appeared on this blog. 

Others like Pet Shop Boys, Big Audio Dynamite, Bangles and Talking Heads are much more familiar round these parts. I've included Swing Out Sister but you've been spared Simply Red on this occasion.

 

Oh, and I've managed to string out this week's ad-hoc German theme for one more day, by including Gina X and Zeus B. Held.

I dug (or should that be dubbed?) myself into a hole with the previous couple of Dub posts, by providing a slipshod facsimile of a rather wonderful Saturday morning quiz. Rol's solicitor is sending the heavies round Sunday lunchtime. Oh well, here we go....

1) It will be no surprise that Zeus B. Held, Shep Pettibone, Belouis Some and Gina X are pseudonyms. But which artist's real name is Neville?

2) What is the connection between Swing Out Sister and A Certain Ratio?

3) Which video variously features a pair of flippers, a shuttlecock, a party hat and a bird perched on a doughnut?

4) Which of today's line-up performed at Live Aid?

5) In 1985, which producer/remixer appeared in the pages of The Scum newspaper, photo depicting them smashing their TV with a hammer in protest at Doctor Who being 'rested' by Michael Grade?

Answers will be posted in the Comments below on Sunday morning.

1) Living In America (Dubstramental) (Remix By Dan Hartman): James Brown

2) Hit That Perfect Beat (Instant Dub) (Remix By Ian Levine): Bronski Beat

3) Walking Down Your Street (Dub Version By Steve Beltran): Bangles

4) Hollywood (Africa) (Dub Mix By Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero) (Cover of 'Africa' by The Meters): Red Hot Chili Peppers 

5) No G.D.M. (Dub Version By Zeus B. Held): Gina X

6) A Party (Dub) (Remix By Paul 'Groucho' Smykle) (Edit): Big Audio Dynamite

7) And She Was (Dub) (Remix By Eric 'ET' Thorngren & David Byrne): Talking Heads

8) The Broken Years (Dub) (Remix By Gary Langan): Hipsway

9) West End Dub (Remix By Shep Pettibone): Pet Shop Boys

10) Imagination (Dub Mix By Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero): Belouis Some

11) Blue Mood (Dubbed Up Mix By Paul Staveley O'Duffy): Swing Out Sister

12) Bombs Away (Dub Version By Mark Berry & Mark Richardson) (Cover of 'Cherry Bomb' by The Runaways): Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Double Dub '85 (1:11:22) (KF) (Mega)

If that's not enough 80s dub for you, I've reposted Dub '85 and Dub '83.

Be Still My Beating Heart

A very happy birthday to Susanna Hoffs, born 17th January 1959.

Singer, songwriter, Bangle, author and all-round beautiful soul. All that and a superlative interpreter of other people's songs too, which is the focus of today's 10-track tribute.

The earliest entry is the opening song, when Susanna was a member of Paisley Underground collective Rainy Day along with David Roback, later of Mazzy Star. I'll Keep It With Mine was written by Bob Dylan and, legend has it, given away tom Judy Collins who released it as a single in 1965. Many other artists have recorded it since but the Rainy Day version was the first I heard, tucked away on a Rough Trade compilation I picked up secondhand in the early 1990s.

 

Bangles are represented here twice, firstly with their cover of Hazy Shade Of Winter, originally featured on the soundtrack to 1987 film Less Than Zero, starring Andrew McCarthy and Robert Downey Jr (whatever happened to him?) The version here is misleadingly labelled a "dub mix", it's actually a slightly spikier, full-vocal take on the soundtrack version. The second Bangles contribution is an Elvis Costello cover, which also inspired the title of their reformation album, 2003's Doll Revolution.

in 1997, Susanna recorded the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic The Look Of Love for the first Austin Powers film. She also appears in the film as Gillian Shagwell, guitarist with Austin's band Ming Tea. It was there that Susanna met and later married director Jay Roach. On that day, the sound of millions of hearts breaking was audible around the world.

Another fruitful partnership borne from the Austin Powers film was with Ming Tea band mate Matthew Sweet, Between 2006 and 2013, the pair released three Under The Covers albums, 45 versions of well-known songs that managed to be both faithful interpretations but distinctly theirs. All highly recommended but I've selected four particular favourites for this selection. 

Susanna's cover of The Beatles' All I've Got To Do is lifted from a 2012 EP, whilst the closing, majestic rendition of Chris Bell's You And Your Sister featured on her solo covers album Bright Lights in 2021.

 

A further covers album, The Deep End, was released last April. I haven't got to that one yet though I suspect it will be brilliant. I mean, come on, it's Susanna, right?

 

1) I'll Keep It With Mine (Cover of Judy Collins): Rainy Day (1984)

2) Maggie May (Cover of Rod Stewart): Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (2009) 

3) Hazy Shade Of Winter (7" Dub Mix) (Cover of Simon & Garfunkel): Bangles (1987)

4) Free Fallin' (Cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers): Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (2013)

5) The Look Of Love (Cover of Dusty Springfield): Susanna Hoffs (1997)

6) Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution) (Cover of Elvis Costello): Bangles (2003)

7) Different Drum (Cover of The Greenfriar Boys): Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (2006)

8) All I've Got To Do (Cover of The Beatles): Susanna Hoffs (2012)

9) Run To Me (Cover of Bee Gees): Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (2006)

10) You And Your Sister (Cover of Chris Bell): Susanna Hoffs (2021)

1984: Rainy Day: 1

1987: Hazy Shade Of Winter EP: 3 

1997: Austin Powers OST: 5

2003: Doll Revolution: 6

2006: Under The Covers Vol. 1: 7, 9

2009: Under The Covers Vol. 2: 2

2012: From Me To You EP: 8

2013: Under The Covers Vol. 3: 4

2021: Bright Lights: 10

Be Still My Beating Heart (34:11) (KF) (Mega)

Every Brother Is A Star, Every Sister Is A Star

Into the weekend with some off-kilter sounds inspired by the teachings of dub. 

 

Some will be the usual suspects - Primal Scream vs. Adrian Sherwood, The Orb - some will be less obvious. Alisha's Attic and Bangles are not names that immediately spring to mind, yet Talvin Singh and Todd Terje respectively work their magic, transforming lightweight pop into heavyweight dub collossi.

The feedback-drenched, disturbing dub of Retribution Gospel Choir, formed by Low's Alan Sparhawk, is offset by the less dubby, more reggae sunsplash sounds of Au Revoir Simone.

 

The closing track by The Orb is a highlight of the excellent Live 93 album. The promo 12" version included here extends the album version by a further four minutes, to blissful effect.

1) Revolutionary aka Star (Dub) (Remix By Adrian Sherwood): Primal Scream (1997)

2) Air We Breathe (Talvin Singh Dub Mix): Alisha's Attic (1997)

3) Dub Like An Egyptian (Todd Terje Edit): Bangles (2010)

4) Shine Eye Dub #3: Retribution Gospel Choir (2006)

5) The Last One (Mack Winston Dub Remix): Au Revoir Simone (2010)

6) Towers Of Dub (Live Orbient 3 September 1993 - Long Version): The Orb (1993)

1993: Towers Of Dub / Blue Room (promo 12"): 6

1997: Air We Breathe EP: 2

1997: Echo Dek: 1

2006: Tour EP #2: 4

2010: Night Light: 5

2010: TTJ Edits #208 (bootleg 12"): 3

Every Brother Is A Star, Every Sister Is A Star (44:11)